Naki'o, the bionic dog, 4 artificial feet

As a puppy,
Naki’o and his mother were abandoned in the cellar of a foreclosed home.
While drastically low temperatures and starvation took the mother’s life,
the puppy, despite being frozen in a puddle of ice water, miraculously
survived. This came, however, at a cost; he lost all four paws and the tip
of his tail to frostbite.

Fortunately, he was
discovered and adopted by veterinarian assistant Christie Pace of Colorado
Springs, Colorado. Thanks to her, the wounds healed into stumps. Though the lack
of his paws did not seem much of a hurdle for the puppy, trouble began when he
grew bigger and Naki’o found himself unable to support his own weight with his
stumps.

Pace raised money by setting up a fundraiser, then contacted OrthoPets –
a US company that specializes in customizing artificial limbs and orthotic
braces for animals – to create prosthetics for Naki’o. When they saw the
dog, however, the animal hospital decided to treat him for free.

Two prosthetic devices were attached to his hind legs. Some months later,
prosthetic legs were similarly fitted to his front stumps.

Though his life began in tragedy, Naki’o is now a spirited dog, able to run,
jump, and play games like fetch.